Wouldn't it be awesome if I interviewed an American circus performer currently living
and performing in Germany?
Hey look!
This is Daniel, a friend of mine and an American acrobat currently living and performing in Germany.
Whoop! Whoop! Hey guys! - Look at that. What are the chances?
Hey everyone, Dana here! And today I am super excited to introduce you to Daniel.
Daniel, who are you? What do you do? - Well, I'm a circus artist, easily put.
Where'd you grow up? - Denver, Colorado. And then... - I'm pretending like I don't know that already.
I'm from Denver, Colorado.
I then went to circus school.
Yes, there is such a thing, and it's not clown college. - Okay. - It's no rainbow wigs and red noses.
It's hardcore. - Hardcore. - Okay. - So that's the École nationale de cirque in Montreal.
And how many years was that? - I went there for three years.
So three years of intense studying. - Okay. - And then, yeah, I actually graduated.
I graduated with a major in aerial hoop.
So actually aerial, like, imagine a trapeze but round. - Okay.
Also hula hoop, which you saw me do in the show. - Yes. - And you got to try yourself. - I did.
She was really good. - I also got to try out the trapeze. - Yeah. Oh, yeah!
And finally Irish step dancing. - Which I saw as well. - Yeah. - Which is amazing.
Like Michael Flatley. Imagine.
I don't know who that is.
Oh, you don't know who that is. - "Riverdance." - Yeah, "Riverdance."
I'll just say: think of Michael Flatley, "Lord of the Dance" or "Riverdance."
That's what I do. But solo. - Do you have any cool nicknames? - I do! - Wow!
Wow, so nice that you thought of that. - Yeah, just random question.
Because of my Irish step dancing, people do like to say Feet of Flame, Hair of Fire.
And how many people like to say that? - All of them. - All of the people. - Just me.
You've performed in many different parts of the world.
So where have you performed in the world and where in Germany?
Oh, okay. Good question. Well of course United States and Canada. These were my first two places.
I was lucky enough to perform in Morocco, Sweden, Finland, France, Germany, of course.
Some cities in Germany? - Yeah.
I've been to Münster, Hanover, Bad Oeynhausen, Bremen, und here, Munich. - Yeah.
So is there anything that you've noticed is unique to performing here in Germany specifically?
You know what, there is.
There's one thing I've really noticed is that circus and variety shows, they are in the culture already.
It's a part of German culture to have these variety shows.
Especially in wintertime.
It's like, oh we take our family, have a nice meal, watch a show...great evening.
What's different is that the variety scene is in their culture, but that's just variety.
Which means a mix of different acts strung together or held by a certain theme.
Same in America or Canada, however these themes are more glued together.
Instead of just lightly strung for entertainment purposes, maybe there's another message behind...
In the U.S. or Canada? - In the U.S. or Canada, for sure. - Oh! - There's a theme or a story.
But there's also this underlying message usually. - Okay.
That's what I find here in Germany...we're aiming, they're really developing and pushing
towards this new type of circus.
Yet, since it's so founded and rooted in their culture that variety is mostly entertainment,
Okay. - it's staying in the entertainment side, but like trying to mix a little story,
and one day - Interesting. - we'll have contemporary circus here in Germany.
What about the crowd? The audience?
Have you noticed any differences in the U.S. perhaps and Germany with the audience?
Okay, the U.S. to Germany differences...okay, well in America we're really loud!
What? Loud in America? No! - We are screaming for our lives at circus shows. - Okay, alright.
So in Germany they're still screaming and supportive,
but maybe sometimes a little more attentive and reserved. - Okay. Respectful! - Respectful.
Is that a good euphemism? For quiet? - Yeah, probably.
Okay, so the audiences in the U.S. are more, like, louder.
So how about within Germany?
Any interesting things in Germany or differences between the cities with the audience?
Okay, between the cities, one memorable one was Münster because it's a university, or
for Americans watching, college. - Okay. - It's like the college city. And they're just more lively.
They're there for you in the show.
It's a little bit of a younger audience. That's the only difference I can really see.
And what about anything interesting, like, with the audiences in Germany in general?
I have to say my favorite German audience...okay "favorite."
What does that mean? - It means I'm lying! - Okay.
Is the Sunday coffee-cake show, Kaffee-Kuchen, because the people,
instead of clapping... - Is this in the afternoon?
Yeah. Usually like 2:30 or like 2 o'clock. - It's in the afternoon. - Okay.
And instead of like applause, - Like, you did a good job.
We hear just the "ting ting ting ting ting" of their spoon and coffee.
Are they using that to applause? Or are they just stirring?
No, they're just so focused on their coffee and cake
and not the live action happening in front of them. - Okay.
They're just very attentive. - Okay. - And into their coffee.
Yeah, they're very attentive of their coffee and Kuchen. Yeah, I was actually thinking about that.
Like, performing while everybody's eating. - Yes. - I had never seen anything like that before.
Probably because you're from America.
But this is one, as I was saying before, traditionally, this is part of the culture. - Okay.
It's watching a show but at the same time eating.
Dance doesn't have this so much. Theater doesn't have this.
But for some reason, circus, Germany; it involves food and the show.
At the same time. - At the same time. - So yeah, that was interesting to me.
I had never heard of that concept. - For people that are coming,
just know that we're not a movie screen. We're live artists. - Yeah.
We're live acrobats on the shows, so look us in the eye.
And not on your hamburger. - Yeah.
But still, your hamburger looks delicious and smells good too. - You're like hungry while you're...
yeah I know! You're performing, oh! Guy in row three got nachos! - Yeah!
Can't tell you how often we smell chicken.
One thing that I would like to say, like I find it funny that in every audience no matter
where you are in the world, the easiest things actually impress the audiences the most.
Oh, that's really interesting!
For example, a split. - Oh, that's impressive. - If you want an applause, you do a split.
But for you that's easy. - For us this is easy, yeah. This is something we've trained for.
How about the working conditions?
Is it different in Germany or the U.S. for you?
Okay, so it's definitely different.
Ah, from past experiences, I know that sometimes your costumes are made for you, and your costume
laundry is done.
You have meals for every single day. - They cook for you? - They cook for you. - Nice.
There are certain companies that cook for you everyday.
Oh, and the meals are so good.
And the difference is here in Germany, it's kind of like you bring everything - Okay.
- for your show. - Okay.
So I have my own costumes, I do my own laundry, make my own food.
Like, we're provided the stage, the lights, the director. - Okay. - But everything else,
you bring yourself. - Okay, all your props. It's all yours. - All mine.
All those hula hoops that you were spinning around? - They're yours. - They're mine.
You bring it with you. - That trapeze that you were hanging on? - Yeah?
Okay, well, that's not my trapeze, but that's another duo in the show. - No way! - That's their trapeze.
Oh, I never would have even thought about that.
I would have assumed that the trapeze comes with the...
So it's literally just the stage and the lights.
Like, everything else is brought in. - Pretty much. Everything else is brought in by the artists. - Oh, wow!
Now we are talking food. Yes. - That's my favorite subject.
So me, just as a not an acrobat here in Germany sometimes I'm missing some particular foods
and drinks.
And I don't know, I could imagine, maybe as an acrobat there might be, like, particular
foods and drinks that you consumer.
I don't know.
Just as an American, peanut butter. - Okay, yes. - Yeah, sorry. Addicted. - Uh-huh.
Love peanut butter. - Addicted!
Uh, as a circus artist, I actually can find everything I need. Staple proteins, staple, ah...
Like, special drinks, I don't, powders that you, like...? - Yeah, you can find - I don't know.
protein powders at the shop. You have to go to very specific shops.
But, um, I find there's kind of a lack of vegetables in Germany. - Okay, it's meat heavy.
It's meat heavy, potato heavy.
I know potato's a vegetable, but it's also a carb.
Yeah, so like what vegetables are you really craving or really missing?
Okay, maybe it's because I'm a spoiled American, and I find that every grocery store you would
go to, it's like, oh it's always the season for brussels sprouts.
It's always the season for everything. - Always the season for everything. - Yeah, yeah.
But here it's like, you only get it when the season is right.
Yes - Like I was asparagus right now.
I was some Spargel. - Yeah, Spargelsaison is over. - But it's over. - Yeah.
And you were on "Das Supertalent." Yes, is that right? I saw that on your website? - Yes!
Oh my gosh. "Das Supertalent" was so much fun.
And I loved it so much because honestly the people really appreciated it.
I didn't have to have a story or anything to make it "famous" or good.
It was just 10 minutes of me, circus, ginger, flaming, hot,
spicy, yeah. - Just being you. - Just being Daniel. - Just being me. Yeah.
You could just be Daniel. - And they ate it up.
And then I also saw on your website something about an Italian show? - Yep, also cool.
Was that like "Das Supertalent?"
It was called "Tu si que vales," and it's like same concept like
"Das Supertalent" or "America's Got Talent." It was so much fun.
I would definitely do that again.
And, okay, I will put, like, somewhere over here a photo on top of Daniel, a photo of
me and Daniel hanging from the trapeze.
It was so amazing to get to do that.
But you can see in the picture that I'm, like, barely holding on with two hands.
I'm like about to slip off.
And Daniel's just, like, got one arm there wrapped around me, like, chilling, no big
deal, hanging on with the other arm.
So is it, it must be, just seems so much fun to be like strong and flexible, like going
through life you know, I don't know, you can like - Thank you, Dana. - climb on stuff, I don't
know, like, is it...is it fun?
Being strong and flexible definitely has its advantages. - Yeah.
In airplanes I can sit like this.
And strengthwise, like. - Yeah, yeah. - No.
Yeah, it's so much fun to be able to pick people up.
He just walks around the grocery store.
If someone's in front of the apples, he just like: excuse me, I would like to get the apples now.
Yeah, please move. - Exactly. - Thank you. - And then you put them back.
And then I put them back and yell at them for not having brussels sprouts.
Yeah, no brussels sprouts at the grocery store.
But you have to stretch all the time.
I see you stretching all the time.
I'm stretching right now, down there, you just don't see it.
Yeah, his feet are stretching and stuff like that, like...
Oh, my wrists. - Always stretching. He stretches on the escalator. - Oh, yeah! - Yeah.
On escal--if there's a wall, - Foot's up. - foot's up, yeah, exactly. If there's a tree, foot's up.
Maybe, what did you say your nickname was? - Foot's up?
No yeah, I mean, right, maybe we need to rethink the flaming foot...what was it?
Feet of Flame, Hair of Fire. - Feet of Flame, Hair of Fire.
Or...Foot's Up.
Daniel, Foot's up.
So our question for you is: What is the best live performance you've ever seen?
And what questions do you have for a circus artist because maybe if Daniel has a break,
he'll maybe hop into the comments and answer some of those questions?
Maybe? - Gladly. Gladly. - Okay, cool. Alright. - For sure, for sure.
So yeah, please let us know in the comments below.
Thank you so much, Daniel, for joining me in this video and answering my questions and
talking and flexing.
Thank you, Dana. This was a party. It's always so much fun. - You're welcome.
I will put links to Daniel's Facebook page and website down in the description box below.
I was just checking out his website again today, not for the first time, but again.
And I was, like, flipping through the pictures, and I'm just like: Wow.
Like, I don't know he does those things.
Like, he's hanging from one arm and his body's horizontal.
And he's just, your face, just like cool as a cucumber.
Like, you know as though you're just like watching TV.
But no, you're hanging and like...I don't know how you do it, but it's amazing.
So I'll put links to all of that down below.
Thank you again so much. We hope that you enjoyed this video. Thank you so much for watching.
Until next time, auf Wiedersehen!
That was perfect. - Yay!
Okay, so I'll say this like a couple times.
And I'll try to at least have one without laughing.
Wouldn't it be awesome if I interviewed an...
Okay, serious face. - Okay, good. - Is that better? Just kidding, sorry.
How am I supposed to do this, Stefan?
You can do it, I can do it, we can all do it. - Alright.
So what about the working conditions in Germany? Are they different? I totally...
Okay. - Let's just get something to drink.
That's why I got the nickname Feet of Flame...that's my hair.
Actually, I just want to say: Thank you, Germany, for Schnitzel.